To Sleep Perchance to Dream
by FutureTVwriter
Summary: Prompt from Val: how about Olivia finally telling Elliot what happened in the basement in the episode undercover. I know it's been done to death, but this is a bit different.


**To Sleep Perchance to Dream**

Prompt from: Val

Hmm how about Olivia finally telling Elliot what happened in the basement in the episode undercover...?

Olivia was racing down a deserted corridor, heart pounding, feet slamming against the cold cement. A look of sheer terror was on her face, something that was rarely seen. She kept looking over her shoulder as she sprinted forward but nothing could be seen behind her. She ran on and on forever, never reaching a destination but finally arriving at the end of the corridor at a brick wall out of breath and terrified. She pounded against the bricks and tried to yell for help but no sounds escaped her throat. She turned around to face what was chasing her, eyes wide open in fear. She defensively put her hands up in front her just as the figure was stampeding towards her—

"OLIVIA!" Elliot yelled out in his sleep. He popped up in bed out of breath, heart racing.

Kathy sat up in bed next to him and turned on the lamp at her bedside table, "What the hell Elliot?"

Elliot looked around the room, confused. "What?"

"You just yelled for Olivia in your sleep." She said angrily.

Elliot took a deep breath, collecting his scattered thoughts, "I was dreaming…"

"About her? In our bed. That's great Elliot, just great." Kathy said as she got out of bed.

"No Kathy, it wasn't. I didn't." he heaved a heavy sigh; there was no way he'd be able to explain himself. "Don't get out of bed, go back to sleep, I'll go."

"To her?" Kathy shot at him.

He didn't answer, how could he? How could he admit that he was leaving his marital bed to find his female partner who he had just dreamt about? To lay it out in black and white made it sound sordid, dirty. There was no way he'd be able to explain his concern and worry about Olivia to his wife who he, admittedly, didn't have the same level of concern for anymore. Especially since, he thought further, the incident in question that was worrying him so much had happened over a month ago. There was no way he could sell this story, so he pled the fifth.

"Just go back to bed Kath." He said as he got up and exited the bedroom.

Olivia was in the basement. Again. Just like every night before and every foreseeable night in the future. She was huddled against the pile of crates, praying to disappear. Trembling in fear. Harris emerged from around the corner and shone the flashlight in her eyes. His devious smirk was plastered across his face and he laughed his low, soulless laugh that made her skin crawl. He grabbed her by the hair, dragging her to her feet. She screamed out for help but she knew no one would come. No one could hear her. He drew his nightstick back and swiftly whacked her in the back with it, sending her to her knees, the wind knocked out of her.

She woke up with a jolt, actually feeling the whack to the back. She gasped for breath, clutching her chest. Looking around her she realized it was just another nightmare. Her pulse was racing and the sheets were soaked in sweat. That made her want to vomit. The fact that SHE was so terrified of something, so vulnerable, so, human, made her want to throw up.

He pulled up in front of her building and noticed that all the lights in her apartment were on. Not a good sign. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and sent her a text message.

_Can't sleep?_

She reached for her phone on the table next to her, wondering who would be texting her at this hour. She flipped the phone open and read his message. Was he stalking her? How could he possibly know that she couldn't sleep….

She got out of bed and looked out her front window and saw his car idling on the street. She rolled her eyes, he was so predictable. She threw a sweatshirt on over her tank top and went downstairs, actually grateful for his intrusiveness if it meant she didn't have to be alone.

He was surprised to see her emerge from her building and sit on her front stoop. He was sure she just wouldn't respond or yell at him for his incessant protectiveness. He quickly got out of his car and joined her on the stoop. Neither said anything for several moments.

"How'd you know?" she asked cryptically.

"All your lights were on…" he ventured.

She blushed slightly, not wanting to tell him that she slept with the lights on now because whenever she was in the dark she saw Harris' face everywhere.

"You saw my lights on from Queens?"

Now it was his turn to be embarrassed, not wanting to admit that he had dreamt of her he went in a different direction.

"I was just driving by..." he lied.

"At three in the morning?" she said, knowing he was checking on her but not really caring.

"Why can't you sleep?" he asked gently.

"I've got a lot on my mind…what's your excuse?"

"Same."

He looked at her, studying her features, noticing the dark bags under her eyes, the worn look on her face, and the sadness radiating off of her.

"Liv," he began, and, for about the hundredth time asked, "What happened in the basement?"

She met his gaze and took a deep shaky breath. Both protected and scared in the darkness of the night she let her defenses down. She replayed the nightmare again in her head and he could almost, but not quite, read her mind. He silently willed her to let it out, let him in.

"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked quietly.

He wasn't. Not by a long shot. "I NEED to know Liv."

She nodded her head, understanding that not knowing was probably worse than knowing every single sickening detail. She looked away from him and focused on the cars parked on the street, not wanting to look him in the eye while she recounted the ordeal.

"Harris cuffed me and said he was taking me to the hole, but he wasn't going in the right direction…."

She told him every painful detail. Her voice caught in her throat several times but she plowed through, desperate to get it off her chest. Neither of them realized that while she was speaking Elliot's hand made its way to hers and was holding it gently. When she finished Elliot rocked his head back and looked up to the sky, unfortunately realizing that his nightmare of what happened to her actually wasn't too far off from the truth. He felt sad, sorry, guilty, angry and everything in between but was grateful to finally know what happened, to finally know what was troubling his partner, and to, hopefully, finally be able to help her.


End file.
